1st Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation

By Ivonne Hernandez

St Peter Julian Eymard's Words:

“The Heart of Jesus answered that what was enough to effect the Redemption was not enough to satisfy His love; …"I love men more than the best of mothers ever loved her child! I will stay with them . . ." "Under what form?" "Under the veiled form of the Sacrament." Divine majesty objected to such a humiliation, greater than that of the Incarnation, and more self-abasing than the Passion itself: "The salvation of man does not call for such abasement." "But," replied the Sacred Heart, "I want to veil Myself and My glory, lest the splendor of My Person prevent my poor brethren from coming to me as the glory of Moses once did the Jews. I want to throw a veil over My virtues, lest they humiliate man and incline him to despair of ever attaining so perfect a Model. "He will thus come to Me more easily, and, seeing Me stoop down to the very confines of nothingness, he will come down with Me. I will have the right to say to him with more authority: 'Learn of Me, that I am meek and humble of heart.' " [1]

MEDITATION:

​The mystery of the Annunciation speaks to us of humility. The God of the Universe came down from Heaven to the womb of the Virgin, to become like us in all things but sin, to take on our humanity and weakness, to experience trials and pain, suffering and loss. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Can there be a greater act of humility? Yes! That same God, who loves us more than the best of mothers ever loved her child, decided that becoming human for a time was not enough for His love; that He wanted to remain with us until the end of days. He decided he would become our food. He would strip himself not only of His heavenly glory, but He would strip himself of any human glory, to become bread and wine. He would come down at the call of a priest and become flesh again. Only this time, it was not as a baby in the most perfect and beautiful womb, the womb of Mary. He would come down to wherever the priest would bring Him. He knew He would suffer greater humiliations as the Eucharist than He did as a man, but that did not matter. He had but one goal in mind: Communion with us. He had one desire: “Man will come down with me to the very confines of nothingness”. Deep calling into deep. His heart calling to our hearts. His love calling to our love. His Love ever present, inviting us to union, to communion. And through that communion we would help Him become incarnate one more time, but this time in us, when we become what we eat.

SEND:

​When you meditate on the mystery of the Annunciation, ask Our Lady for the grace of a greater understanding of Our Lord's humility in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

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Next - 2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation

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[1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.38